This document analysis examines how historical thinking is evaluated by the Ministry of Education history examination in Québec in 2015. High school students in Québec are required to pass this examination in order to receive their diploma. The Ministry examination claims to evaluate students’ historical knowledge and skills. Almost twenty years of Ministry of Education documents were analyzed using a historical methodology and two Ministry examinations were analyzed using a rubric derived from historical thinking criteria to answer the following questions: How has historical thinking influenced the history curriculum and the evaluation of history in the province of Québec? How is historical thinking reflected in the Québec Ministry examination? Analysis of the two examinations show that they are a limited tool for evaluating historical thinking and are instead focused on evaluating historical content knowledge. The current Ministry examination generally has some elements of four domains of historical thinking: evidence, cause and consequence, continuity and change and historical perspective. However, many of the questions only require students to answer at the recall level. Overall, there are few opportunities for students to demonstrate their advanced knowledge of historical thinking on the ministry examination.

Design thinking has attracted a significant amount of interest and attention from the non-design sector in areas such as finance, government services and transport. This has resulted in new definitions that appear to describe design thinking as the mythical process that generates innovation and as a result, creating confusion and causing some to question its meaning. Research was undertaken to explore the possible knowledge gap that exists between academic and practitioner understanding of design thinking and its practical application. The relationship between the two has been articulated and a data driven model of design thinking created to further understanding of the meaning of design thinking. Firstly, an initial literature review was conducted to examine the origins, ownership and relationship between design thinking and four other related terms. Secondly, four common characteristics of design thinking were identified from projects reported by academics and practitioners as examples of the application of design thinking. The literature review provided the point of departure for the design of the empirical research instrument (RI). From the initial literature review four common characteristics of design thinking was identified; they were: drivers , experts , impact and processes . The research methodology employed constructivist grounded theory using a multi-qualitative method to maximise the capacity to gather high quality data. Pilot studies were conducted internally to test out the research instrument. From the pilot studies an additional common characteristic identified: design problem , being traditional or non-traditional. Following the pilot studies, primary data collection methods of interviews and online survey were employed. A total of 56 participants took part in the study, the participants who took part were academics and design practitioners from around the world. A total of 13 interviews were conducted and 43 survey responses were collected. The interviews and online survey used in data collection formed two stages of a triangulation strategy that was used to explore all the research questions. ii Two data sets were created from the interviews and online survey, which were analysed by thematic analysis and content analysis. From the thematic analysis, the five common characteristics identified from the literature review and pilot studies were confirmed; two additional common characteristics were identified as multidisciplinary and knowledge . Content analysis was conducted to identify evidence to describe the 7 common characteristics identified. Furthermore, the modes of expression for design thinking were also identified from the data in order to explore its relationship to design education. Case study analysis was the third stage of the triangulation strategy employed. It was conducted to check the reliably of the findings. This involved three design school case studies and three practice-based case studies of which two were for product designs and one was for service design. A qualitative data model of design thinking was developed to present the findings of the research. The research was then validated by a PhD seminar at Lancaster University and a validation study with experienced design practitioners. A final literature review was conducted after the validation studies to compare the research findings to the most recently published literature. From the literature review and validation studies, any appropriate findings were incorporated into the theory constructed.

O presente trabalho - O Pensar e o Repensar sobre o Desenvolvimento - parte da premissa de que estamos submersos num modelo societário que é predatório e que, se por um lado, cria enorme quantidade de bens, por outro, o faz as expensas do agravamento das desigualdades sociais. Este trabalho se alicerça na \"crença\" de que esse quadro de desigualdades não poderá ser superado com a lógica que comanda o capitalismo. Vivemos num mundo controlado, ainda de forma firme, pelo capital, numa era de promessas que não podem ser cumpridas e que, em conseqüência, vem criando esperanças cada vez mais frustradas. Torna-se, então, imperativo abandonar a lógica do capital e adotar uma outra lógica - a do trabalho, para a partir dela, pensar numa outra Totalidade. Esta totalidade deverá ser construída definindo-se diferente relação de produção e, conseqüentemente, criando novas relações humanas, articuladas com outras premissas; relações que definam \"riqueza\", \"necessidades\", \"valor\" e \"utilidade\" de forma diferentes das consagradas pelo capital. Há, então, que se buscar um outro paradigma no qual o surgimento de uma nova ética permitirá uma outra regulação nas relações entre os homens, e entre estes e a natureza. Para a construção dessa outra Totalidade é absolutamente indispensável o fortalecimento da democracia - tomada como estratégia e não como tática. É no processo democrático, construído no dia a dia, sabendo-o, portanto, como processo interminável, que se poderá construir uma Totalidade de superação do capitalismo. Com novos valores e outro enfoque sobre o trabalho, há que se definir novas concepções para educação. Uma educação que pense o homem como criador, como produtor de sua própria vida criativa. Isso posto, não haveria mais lugar para uma educação utilitária, com discurso de qualificação - cuja função explícita é, inclusive, desprovida de veracidade. Não mais uma educação que pense o homem como produtor e como consumidor. Produtor sim, mas não de \"riqueza\"; de sua própria vida criativa. / The present study - The Thinking and Rethinking on the Development - presumes that we are surrendered to a society model that is predatory. Although this society model creates an enormous amount of goods, it does that at the expense of intensifying social inequality. This study is based on the \'belief\' that this inequality cannot be surpassed if the current logic that rules capitalism prevails. We live in a world yet decisively controlled by capitalism, by capital; in an era of promises that cannot be fulfilled, bringing about, as a consequence, increasingly frustrated hope. In this milieu, it is imperative to refuse capital logic and adopt a new one: the labor logic, from which it is possible to foresee another Totality. This totality must be built as a different relation of production, creating, therefore, new human relations, related with distinct premises; relations that will define \"wealth\", \"need\", \"value\" and \"utility\" in different ways than those ascribed by capital. It is urged, then, to look for another paradigm, in which the advent of new Ethics will allow a regulation of new type in the relation amongst human beings, and between them and the nature.The emergence of this distinct Totality requires the strengthening of democracy - taken as strategy and not as tactics. It will be in this democratic process, created on daily basis - therefore considered as an ongoing process - that a Totality for the capital suppression may be built. Along with new values and another viewpoint on labor, new education concepts must be defined; those that consider the human being as the creator, the producer of his/her creative life. Taking this notion in consideration, there would be no more room for a utilitarian education perspective, with its qualification speech - whose explicit objective is misleading. There will be no room for an education that looks at the human being as producer and consumer of goods and services. Indeed a producer of his own creative life, and not of \"wealth\".

D.Ed. / Teaching and learning in the Technology Education and the Information Technology learning area traditionally focused on the acquisition of knowledge, skills, attitudes and reproductive thinking - with minor reference to the facilitation of complex thinking. An appropriate instructional methodology in the Higher Education and Training band is of utmost importance due to the fact that current instructional approaches and strategies in the Information Technology area of learning are not suitable for the facilitation of complex thinking. There are no instructional models for the facilitation of complex thinking through web page design available in South Africa. The cross-curricular nature of Technology Education and Information Systems permits the integration of the stages of the technological process and methodologies of information system design with particular reference to web page design. The problem-based nature of information system design correlates with the aim and functionality of the stages of the technological process. Within the stages of the technological process the balance between constructivist and behaviourist instructional approaches and strategies can provide for meaningful learning. The aim of this study is to design and implement an instructional web design programme (IWDP), and furthermore on the basis of an evaluation of the programme, to develop a prospective instructional model that could promote complex thinking in the project-based classroom. The development of the instructional programme was based on the three pillars of the technological framework (mind tools within web page design, complex thinking, instructional models and strategies), which provided a conceptual framework in the form of criteria on the manner in which complex thinking of learners can be facilitated. This study was developed within the qualitative research paradigm. The use of the case study design and action research was considered the most appropriate for the nature of this study. A group of 17 learners at an institution of higher education and training band was observed during the implementation of the instructional programme. Data was gathered using interviews, classroom observations, journals and essays, in order to explore learners' and the teacher's experiences in respect of the instructional programme. A qualitative data analysis approach was employed to provide meaningful categories and subcategories. From the data it was evident that the learners and teacher had positive experiences with regard to the instructional programme. The programme provided an array of instructional approaches and strategies, as well as the opportunity for learners to experience a multi-method learning environment utilising the technological resources and a network of human resources inside and outside the project-based classroom. It became clear that different instructional approaches and strategies (constructivist and behaviourist) contributed to a variety of learning modes particularly emphasizing discussions, cognitive apprenticeship and peer tutoring in collaborative teams, indicating the facilitation of complex thinking in general. Based on the findings an instructional model was designed and developed that could be applied in the Information Technology learning area, as well as in Technology Education in general.

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D.Ed. / Web-based learning as an emerging new paradigm requires that instructional practitioners rethink instructional approaches, focuses and strategies to facilitate learning effectively. Together with Web-based learning, the role of thinking development in learning evolved to become major focuses in the educational arena and outcomes-based education initiatives introduced in South Africa have also placed instructional approaches to learning and complex thinking as vital components under the spotlight. Furthermore, there has been limited research - in the South African context - focusing on the link between complex thinking skills and the implementation of Web-based learning. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of instructional strategies employed in a Web-based learning model designed to develop complex thinking skills in post-graduate learners. To do this, it was necessary to establish a theoretical framework for the study. Through a literature study, the essential characteristics of complex thinking were examined and criteria derived; possible instructional strategies to enhance complex thinking were thoroughly researched and a set of criteria derived; the contribution of Web-based learning to the learning process was researched and a set of criteria derived. A Web-based learning course for post-graduate learners was then designed according to these criteria. Specifically this research sought to investigate the types of complex thinking skills evident while learners interacted in the Web-based learning environment; which instructional strategies employed in the learning programme enhanced complex thinking and learning; how the Web-based learning activities contributed to the learning process. The research took the form of an interpretive, qualitative study. The major methods of data collection were observation and documents retrieved from the Web of all the Web-based learning activities. Data were analysed using techniques of qualitative analysis recommended by Bogdan and Biklen, (1992:116), Creswell (1994:155), Marshall and Rossman (1995:85), Maxwell (1992:295), Miles and Huberman (1994:181) and Tesch (1990:97). The findings suggest that instructional strategies can be successfully incorporated for the facilitation of complex thinking. When implemented with all the criteria defined in the design, it appears to provide an effective framework for the design of a Web-based learning environment for the acquisition of complex thinking and learning.

The dissertation reports on two studies. The purpose of Study I was to develop and evaluate a measure of cognitive competence (the Critical Problem Solving Skills Scale – Qualitative Extension) using Relational Data Analysis (RDA) with a multi-ethnic, adolescent sample. My study builds on previous work that has been conducted to provide evidence for the reliability and validity of the RDA framework in evaluating youth development programs (Kurtines et al., 2008). Inter-coder percent agreement among the TOC and TCC coders for each of the category levels was moderate to high, with a range of .76 to .94. The Fleiss’ kappa across all category levels was from substantial agreement to almost perfect agreement, with a range of .72 to .91. The correlation between the TOC and the TCC demonstrated medium to high correlation, with a range of r(40)=.68, p Study II reports an investigation of a positive youth development program using an Outcome Mediation Cascade (OMC) evaluation model, an integrated model for evaluating the empirical intersection between intervention and developmental processes. The Changing Lives Program (CLP) is a community supported positive youth development intervention implemented in a practice setting as a selective/indicated program for multi-ethnic, multi-problem at risk youth in urban alternative high schools in the Miami Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS). The 259 participants for this study were drawn from the CLP’s archival data file. The study used a structural equation modeling approach to construct and evaluate the hypothesized model. Findings indicated that the hypothesized model fit the data (χ2 (7) = 5.651, p = .83; RMSEA = .00; CFI = 1.00; WRMR = .319). My study built on previous research using the OMC evaluation model (Eichas, 2010), and the findings are consistent with the hypothesis that in addition to having effects on targeted positive outcomes, PYD interventions are likely to have progressive cascading effects on untargeted problem outcomes that operate through effects on positive outcomes.

Innovation allows for competitive advantage. Competitive advantage and innovation lead to economic growth. For innovation to occur, creativity is necessary. All individuals are creative, but continuous practice is necessary to be creative. The process from creativity to innovation and competitive advantage and economic growth involves three stages. The first stage involves educating primary and secondary school children to be creative across different domains. Current school systems focus on mathematical and linguistic skills. Examples of domains are linguistic, performance, mechanicalscientific and artistic. These creative domains can be taught through encouraging children to use their imagination and different methods. In primary and secondary education little-c creativity and mini-c creativity are developed. Little-c creativity involves developing problem solving skills. Mini-c creativity involves the ability to recognise personal creative events, not necessarily recognised by others. Tertiary education involves students gaining knowledge in a specific domain. While studying to gain knowledge and conduct research on a specific domain, practicing creativity is still important. Upon completion of tertiary education the second stage in creating economic growth through creativity and innovation commences. This second stage involves organisations hiring creative employees that have knowledge within a domain similar to the organisation‟s industry. Creative employees develop creative ideas. The creative ideas allow for innovative products to be developed. Innovative products satisfy customer needs and lead to competitive advantage. Managers should encourage employees to be innovative. Employees that are motivated and encouraged to take risks develop a talent within the domain that they are employed in. The ability to be creative and innovative leads to pro-creativity and big-c creativity. Pro-c creativity refers to a talent being developed over approximately ten years. Big-c creativity involves creating products that benefits society positively. Upon creating products that benefit society, competitive advantage is created that allows for the third stage of creating economic growth to commence. This third stage involves economic growth that stems from innovation and creative individuals. Countries currently focus on stage two where they aim to encourage innovation amongst organisations. There is a realisation that to be innovative,creativity is necessarily and that creativity must be taught by means of education. This research study will use a questionnaire by Kaufman (2009, 2012, 2013) to determine how creative students perceive they are and whether they are capable of recognising different levels of creativity. A similar study was conducted in Germany and Mexico. Professor Alexander Brem was asked for the questionnaire. The questionnaire was translated from German to English. The objective is to determine whether students perceive themselves to be creative, thus being innovative within their organisations and indirectly allowing for competitive advantage and economic growth. Kaufmans‟ questionnaire was distributed to Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Masters in Business Administration students. Ethics clearance was granted and answering the questionnaire was optional.To draw conclusions an Exploratory Factor Analysis was done on creative domains and the levels of creativity students are able to recognise. The first Exploratory Factor Analysis revealed performance creativity as the first factor, mechanicalscientific creativity as the second factor, scholarly creativity as the third factor and artistic creativity as the fourth factor. The second Exploratory Factor Analysis grouped pro-c creativity, big-c creativity and little-c creativity as the first factor, not being able to recognise creativity as the second factor and mini-c creativity as the third factor. The individual results from each factor were discussed. Each factor was further analysed by comparing gender, age, year‟s work experience and type of students to the type and level of creativity. The results show three trends. Firstly, results indicated that respondents perceived themselves to be predominantly scholarly and mathematical-scientific creative. This result is synonymous with secondary research that states that educational institutions focus on enhancing linguistic and mathematical skills amongst students and that developing skills in other domains are seen as less important. Secondly, the ability of students to recognise different levels of creativity decreases from big-creativity to pro-c creativity; pro-c creativity to little-c creativity and little-c creativity to mini-c creativity. Students are therefore better able to recognise large inventions than smaller inventions. Thirdly, results indicated that creativity levels do not differ when gender, age, year‟s work experience and type of students are compared. In this research study the above statements will be discussed in detail.

Creativity is seen as the driving force behind innovation. It can even be said to be the same process. It is critical to implement the creativity in order for innovation to actually take place. This combination of creativity and innovation is required for economic growth, sustainability, continuous improvement and competitive edge for organisations. Creativity is more than just artistic ability but includes scientific and problem solving steps and basic everyday creativity. This combination would be key in government departments, organisations and universities today. People’s perception on creativity could hamper their growth and development in this key area, not only for themselves but of others that they come into contact with. People’s perception on creativity is that it is either a genius form in either artistic or musical terms or it is not at all creative. They do not necessarily view the everyday tasks as creative. The research approach for this study is positivistic and deductive. The students’ perception of creativity is gathered using a quantitative questionnaire, where they rank their perceptions. The questionnaire was from an international study and it was made available to all students at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. The data analysis will be both descriptive and inferential in nature. The research seeks to examine students’ perception of their own creativity and how they rate various creative products or services. Students are on their way to the pinnacle in their fields and the creativity should therefore be at its peak to be able to take full advantage and to get maximum benefit from it. The research will gain insight into their perception via a questionnaire where they need to rate themselves. The literature review will investigate creativity, innovation and the links between them. It will analyse the importance of innovation to business and the unlocking of creativity. There are many differing ways to unlock and stimulate creativity and some of these are addressed.

Critical thinking is a widely shared educational goal which has been granted more explicit attention than ever in recent years. Five major approaches to this area of educational concern have been influential to the development of educational practices, research programs, and conceptualization in the field. Three of these approaches (the 'process' or basic skills approach, the problem solving approach, and the logic approach) are found to be based on unfounded assumptions about the nature of reasoning and thinking, and inadequate attention to the purposes which make critical thinking such a widely accepted educational goal. A fourth (the information processing approach) is found to involve instances of reductionism which render incoherent many of the terms with which we understand and assess our own reasoning, and that of others. The fifth approach (the multi-aspect approach associated with Robert Ennis) is not so essentially flawed, but is found to contain some significant problems. Most notably there is a problem with fixing the reference of 'mental abilities' (which is essential for the issue of generalizability of critical thinking abilities) and with understanding the relationship between judgment and the other aspects of critical thinking. It is argued that writers in the field of critical thinking generally have tried to purchase objectivity for their conceptions by connecting them with the ideal of disengaged knowledge, either as exemplified by the study of formal logic or the natural sciences. It is argued that, in contrast with this approach, we ought to recognize that values and value judgments are at the heart of critical thinking. The ideal of disengagement tends to interfere with our understanding of thinking as a normative (rule-governed) activity grounded in our social practices. This thesis argues for the adoption of a realist position with regard to values, an expressivist understanding of language, an interpretive stance toward the study of rationality, and a social constructivist conception of rules. Some consequences of these positions for instruction, teacher preparation, and future research are suggested. / Education, Faculty of / Educational Studies (EDST), Department of / Graduate